Choices that you Make
by fandomlver
Summary: Zhalia had a difficult decision to make during 'The Vampire Loses its Fangs'. NOT a pairing fic.


Author's note: A short piece going through 'The Vampire Loses its' Fangs' from Zhalia and Lok's perspectives. Refers to my first story briefly. Written for DragonPhoenix16. Enjoy!

Choices that you Make

"_The target is no longer only Dante Vale. His entire team must be eliminated!_"

Zhalia made a vague effort to search. It didn't matter; they wouldn't find Klaus, or Vlad's Titans, until Klaus was ready for them to. In case Dante came looking for her, though, she had to appear to be searching.

Gareon had followed Lok and Sophie, hiding when he could, vanishing when he had to. Through the Bond she caught flashes of what they were doing, enough to keep track of them.

When Lok fell through the secret door Zhalia abandoned her search, heading down to the dungeons.

'Another hour and I'll be done with this. I'll be back with the Organization, where I belong.'

_Where they hurt you for fun, or because you've refused an order,_/i her inner voice added. i_Where you can never trust anyone, ever._

Annoyingly, her inner voice sounded a lot like Lok.

'Klaus is the only person in the world who believed in me,' she thought fiercely.

_Dante believes in you. Believed in you from the start. And his team took you in._

'Oh yeah. Sophie really loves me.'

_Sophie fights alongside you._

Zhalia shook her head, suddenly realising she'd stopped moving, completely absorbed in her internal argument. She started forward again, pushing a gentle enquiry through the Bond.

Good. Lok and Sophie were still wandering around. Really, she was doing the Foundation a favour; those kids were far too easily distracted to be Seekers.

_Good enough to beat DeFoe,_ the voice popped up again. _And Grier._

'DeFoe's not a challenge and Grier stood aside and let them pass. I'd be dead on the streets of Prague right now if it wasn't for Klaus. Where was the Foundation when I was starving?'

_Klaus made you into a weapon. If you go back to him now, that's all you'll ever be. A weapon for him to use against anyone he chooses._

'I'd die for him.'

_Would you kill for him?_

Zhalia pressed herself against the wall, shaking. Where had _that_…

But she knew where that had come from. She knew what it would mean if she went back to Klaus, what being his favourite _meant_.

_Will you kill for him?_ the voice insisted.

'Yes.'

Her inner voice didn't speak. It didn't have to.

Lok yelled in alarm, somewhere just out of sight, and she slipped around the corner. He was holding Vlad's Titans, but, true to form, he'd also triggered some kind of trap. Sighing, she stepped out of hiding and gestured them to hurry up, trying to figure out how to spin this. She couldn't fight both of them and their Titans; they were too strong together. She needed to separate them somehow.

Separate them…_yes_.

"That trap homes in on whichever Seeker nearby holds the strongest amulets," she said quickly. "And that's me."

Predictably, Sophie bristled. "How do you know whose Titans are the most powerful? It could target Lok or me while you're trying to distract it!"

Poor Sophie was far too easy to manipulate. She was right, of course, not to trust Zhalia; but it made her too easy to predict.

"Let's ditch our amulets," Lok suggested brightly. "If we're not wearing them, we shouldn't register on the skull trap's hit list, right?"

Zhalia smiled mentally. He made it far too easy.

_Will you kill for him?_ the voice asked again, quieter now.

'**Yes**.'

And to prove it she spun, taking out Lok with her strongest Augurfrost. He crashed hard into the nearest wall and collapsed, wheezing in a breath. Zhalia resolutely refused to regret it; protective instincts born in Australia were screaming at her, but Lok was too unpredictable, too dangerous not to take out first. Sophie was easy by comparison; right now, she was going to…

"Lok! No!"

Cry over Lok for a second, and then attack.

Sophie spun on her, fury in her eyes. "I never trusted you, but I didn't think you'd do something like that to _Lok_!"

"I'm full of surprises," Zhalia said carelessly, trying to ignore the crumpled form behind Sophie. "So what are you gonna do? Your Titans are all locked away."

"I'm full of surprises too! Attack, Sabriel!"

'_Blast_ your suspicious mind!' Zhalia took a step back, quickly rethinking. She could probably take Sophie in a straight fight; Sophie's bloodline gave her power, but Zhalia had experience and desperation on her side.

"I still have every one of my Titans! All it required was a simple sleight-of-hand."

"Actually, I was hoping we'd get to fight." 'This is it.' "One on one, Sophie." 'There's no turning back now.' "Kilthane!"

***

"I never trusted you! But I didn't think you'd do something like that to _Lok_!"

"I'm full of surprises. So what are you gonna do? Your amulets are all locked away."

"I'm full of surprises too! Attack, Sabriel!"

Lok struggled to sit upright, aware from the tone of the girls' voices that something was very wrong. Being thrown into the wall had shocked lungs that would never be as strong again, and he was having trouble catching his breath.

"Actually, I was hoping we'd get to fight, one on one, Sophie."

"Zhalia versus Sophie?" he murmured. "Am I dreaming?"

"So you're part of the Organization?" Sophie spat.

Zhalia shrugged. "Life is about power. And the Organization is about getting power. That's why we will always dominate."

"No," Lok breathed. _Not Zhalia, how can that possibly…_

He couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate on the fight. Zhalia had _saved_ him from the Organization, had protected him at the cost of her own injuries, and now…

"Life's not about _getting_ power, Zhalia. It's about how you choose to i_use_/i it."

"Then let's put it to use. Attack!"

He managed to focus on the fight; Sophie was going for it, trying to _hurt_ Zhalia, but the older girl was holding back. She could have taken Sophie down by now if she'd wanted to.

"I can't let them hurt each other…" He struggled upwards, leaning heavily against the wall.

"Doublespell! Raypulse!"

"What? No!" Zhalia ducked backwards, but not fast enough; Sophie would _kill_ her…

"Sophie, don't hurt her!" Lok cried.

Sophie's eyes flickered to his for a moment. It was all the time Zhalia needed; she was gone before Sophie looked back, vanished into the shadows of Vlad's dungeon.

"Sophie, you've missed your one chance!"

Sophie turned, searching, and caught a flicker of movement. "No I haven't. Boltflare!"

"Sorry, little girl." Zhalia was behind her, energy humming in her hand. "But that was an illusion created by my Thoughtspectre power!" She flung the energy, knocking Sophie off her feet.

"Sophie!" Lok doubled over when he tried to move, unable to hold himself up. "I can't…I've got no Titans…"

Sophie was unconscious on the floor, unable to fight Zhalia's Mindsight and Shadowspeed. "Now I'll put you out of my misery!" Zhalia hissed.

"Zhalia!"

Lok shoved off the wall, not caring about his injuries, not caring about his lack of power. All he could think was that Zhalia couldn't hurt any of them. Whatever was going on, whatever she was doing, if she hurt them now he knew she'd never be able to come back from it. She'd lose herself to the darkness forever.

"Venomhand!"

"No!" Lok threw himself over Sophie, staring wide-eyed at Zhalia. "Don't do this!"

"Lok, get out of the way!"

"No! Zhalia, no!"

She punched the ground furiously, letting the power drain away. "Lok…"

"You can't hurt her." Lok risked sitting up, watching her warily. "Zhalia, what are you…"

"Klaus is my father," she spat. "He wants you gone."

"He's not your father," Lok said without thinking.

"He saved me! He gave me a chance when no one else would."

_For the one who saved you, you'd do anything…he didn't make it easy, but he gave me a chance…_

Lok grimaced as the various things she'd said came together. "Oh, Zhalia…"

"Shut up. I don't want pity from you." She shoved him backwards, knocking him over and jarring him hard enough to interrupt his breathing again. "I can never repay him. But I'll do what he asks."

"You didn't do what he asked in Australia," Lok wheezed, picking himself up again.

"In Australia he…" Zhalia cut herself off, glowering.

"In Australia, he wanted to hand us over to the Professor," Lok supplied quietly. "You'd rather see us dead?"

"You'd rather _be_ dead," she muttered halfheartedly. "Get up."

"Why?"

"Just get up! And get her up, too." She gestured vaguely to Sophie, still unconscious beside him.

"Zhalia…"

"I'm not going to kill you. Just get up and come over here."

"Lok, be careful!" Cherit called helplessly from the sealed-off alcove.

Lok followed Zhalia's instructions, letting her tie them to the wall. "Why are…"

"Because Klaus really will kill you." She didn't meet his eyes. "And I can't bring myself to do it. You're such an idiot, Lok Lambert, you know that?"

"I was right about you."

"You were stupid. Any other Suit would have just taken you both out."

"Yeah. But you're not a Suit. I'm not afraid of you, Zhalia, and I never will be."

"We'll see." She stripped Sophie's amulets, dropping them into a pocket, and then stood. "Recall Freelancer."

"I don't have his amulet."

"He's still yours. Recall him."

"Freelancer, return!" Lok couldn't quite see him, but the flare of light threw shadows on the opposite wall.

"Cherit, give me Lok's amulets."

"Cherit, do it," Lok said loudly.

Zhalia came back and crouched in front of him, amulets in hand. "You really are an idiot, Lok."

"I don't think you'll keep them very long."

"You're right. I'll be giving them to Klaus in a matter of moments."

"Maybe. You'll have to go through Dante, though."

Zhalia flinched, lowering her head. "Yeah. Goodbye, Lok."

"See you later, Zhalia."

She laughed softly as she left. _He really does never give up. Silly little boy._

_***  
_

"She said she couldn't bring herself to hurt us after witnessing my major stupidity." Lok shrugged, looking down.

"Jumping between us was bravery, not stupidity," Sophie told him.

"Don't forget, Lok, it played a part in bringing Zhalia back to her senses," Dante added.

"It's weird," Sophie said reflectively. "Now that I know everything Zhalia went through, I kind of want to forgive her."

"Aye, her life was a hard one at that," Cherit agreed.

"But in the end, she came through for us. I won't forget that." Lok sat back.

"Thank you." Zhalia stepped from the shadows. "That means a lot. I've come to say goodbye."

"You know, you don't have to do that," Cherit said hopefully.

"You heard everyone. We forgive you," Sophie added. Zhalia smiled faintly – talk about words you never thought you'd hear…

"But I can't forgive myself." She looked down, unable to meet their eyes - Dante, who'd trusted her even as she stood over him ready to kill; Sophie, who'd accepted her apology before she'd even made it; and Lok, who'd never stopped believing in her, even as she broke his trust.

"It's alright," Dante said gently. "We understand."

"See you," she murmured, letting her projection fade out.

As she vanished, she heard Lok say, "Whatever she says, Zhalia's still a part of our team. She'll be back. I know it."

_The boy never gives up…_

***

Lok stood up after a few minutes, wandering into the kitchen. Cherit looked after him, frowning, but it was Dante who followed him.

"Lok? You ok?"

"She protected me. In Australia, she….she didn't have to do that, Dante."

"No, she didn't," he agreed. "That may have been Klaus' plan."

"Klaus wants me. He had me. There was no reason to keep it up." He glanced up, catching Dante's look. "What?"

"You don't have to worry about Klaus anymore."

"Why not?"

"Zhalia took care of him."

"Zhalia fought him off for us?"

"Yeah."

"She called him her father." Lok looked away, unable to hold Dante's gaze. "I wish she hadn't had to do that."

"Me too. But she made her choice, Lok."

"You think she'll come back to us?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"So do I. She belongs here."

Dante squeezed his shoulder before heading back to the living room. Lok could hear them speaking – Sophie questioning, Cherit high and worried, Dante reassuring – but the words were lost to the distance and the door closing. He glanced towards the window as movement caught his eye.

Zhalia was standing there.

Lok took a step forward, reaching to touch her, but she shook her head. "Don't."

"Come back."

"Maybe. One day." She glanced over her shoulder at something he couldn't see. "I have to…there are things to do first. To make it right, if I can."

"You don't have to prove anything to us," Lok said fiercely.

"Not you. Me. I need to, Lok, or I'll never be able to let it go."

"But you'll come back, right?"

"I'll try," she promised. "You're a good man, Lok Lambert."

"You're a good woman, Zhalia Moon." He laughed suddenly. "Is that your real name?"

"Yeah. That's my real name."

"Thank you."

She smiled. "See you soon, Lok." And then she was gone, leaving him alone in the brightly lit kitchen.

Lok smiled and went to find his friends.


End file.
